Suggestions for development of cross-platform Linux Outliner Note-taking software

Posted by Franz Grieser
Sep 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM

Hi.

I find the idea of a cross-plattform note-taking application appealing. Windows and Macintosh are a must for me, Linux would be nice.

Be warned, however: Macintosh users are very picky about the GUI. A considerable portion of the Mac users I know wouldn’t touch a Java application (doesn’t look Mac-like, is slow). To attract them, your app has to be a Cocoa app (or at least Carbon).

An example of an app that has complete Windows look and feel on a PC and Mac look and feel on a Mac is the German word processor Papyrus (http://www.rom-logicware.com and http://www.papyrus.de).

>Do you think it would be better to go with:

>- a more simple OneNote style application
>- an Surfulator/ InfoQube/ ECCO model

Why either or? Make it simple to use AND flexible “under the hood”. This way the software will appeal to power and to occasional users.

And do not try to make it a jack of all trades: If it is a note-taking application, there is no need for a calender or email integration. You might, however, consider opening your app for plugins/add-ins.

Franz